


To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield

by psybexm



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark, Different Teams, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, No Eternatus, Rose actually did adopt Bede because I make the rules, Unethical Experimentation, all my hcs prior to the release of swsh - the fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24289882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psybexm/pseuds/psybexm
Summary: Something insidious brews deep below Galar's surface, kept in the dark from prying eyes. Four teenagers set out on a journey to win the prestigious title of Champion, though nothing is as it seems in Galar, and those you can truly know and trust are few.Alternatively, a different take on Pokémon Sword and Shield, based on headcanons developed prior to the release of the games.
Relationships: Hop/Yuuri | Gloria (one-sided), Mary | Marnie/Yuuri | Gloria, Olive | Oleana/Rose | Chairman Rose
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield

**Author's Note:**

> WOW I have been wanting to do this forever. this is entirely based off of headcanons I had before the games came out. I sincerely hope you enjoy.
> 
> title is from the poem "Ulysses" by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

“Welcome, one and all! Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon!”

In the living room of a small cottage in the sleepy town of Postwick, a teenage girl sits on the couch, deep brown eyes affixed to the screen of her phone so as not to miss a second of the live broadcast. There’s always an exhibition match close to the beginning of the Gym Challenge, after all; she’d be a fool to miss it.

“Gloria!” her mother calls, “Your eyes are going to fall out if you stare at that thing for much longer! Come have lunch!”

“In a sec, mum! A match is starting!” she calls back, not looking up from her phone for even a second as she ignores her mother’s exasperated sigh.

On the small screen, Rose, the chairman of Galar’s League, gives a speech—the same one he does every year before an exhibition match, mainly for any new watcher’s sakes, so Gloria doesn’t pay him much attention. No, she’s far more excited for the match itself; the match right before the official start of the Gym Challenge is always so _exhilarating,_ especially since it’s always—

“Now, turn your gaze to the Galar region’s greatest Pokémon Trainer, your undefeated Champion…” Rose begins, and Gloria’s eyes grow wide, giddy with anticipation. The crowd roars through the speakers of her phone, raising their hands to the air, cheering out the name of their beloved Champion. Rose grins, and raises his own fist to the air.

“It’s time for Champion Leon’s exhibition match!”

Plumes of smoke scatter across the even-cut grass of the stadium, serving not only to allow Rose a clean exit, but to allow the Champion to appear if by magic. Champion Leon stands still, scuffs the perfect grass with his shoe, grins at the camera closest to him, golden eyes gleaming. Beside him, his Charizard stands, wings spread out wide for the crowd to admire. Leon pauses, and performs his famous Charizard pose, spotlights turned on him as the crowd cheers and screams his name, raising their left hands to the air in the same pose as Leon.

On the other side of the stadium, Leon’s opponent stands, dark locs pulled back in a bright orange headband as cyan eyes narrow. A Duraludon stands next to him, cleaned and polished to perfection as it waits beside its Trainer.

“Exhibition or not, Leon, your pristine record is about to end—when I beat you here today!” he taunts, dropping into a crouch and baring a sharp-toothed grin at his opponent. Leon chuckles, amused, almost, his large cape fluttering in the wind.

“You know I don’t lose battles, Raihan!” Leon responds. From her seat on her couch, Gloria almost shakes in anticipation. “Charizard! Dynamax!”

The band on Leon’s arms glows, and Charizard lets out a mighty roar as it grows, near lighting up the stadium with the fire blazing across its body. Raihan laughs, prepares to Dynamax his Duraludon in return—

“Hello, hello!”

Gloria looks up from her phone, startled at the sound of a familiar voice as the front door creaks open on rusted hinges. A boy comes waltzing in, positively beaming at her as if he hadn’t just interrupted one of the most exciting matches of the _year._ Seemingly oblivious to Gloria’s mild annoyance, he continues talking. “Oh! That your flash new phone, Gloria?”

Gloria rolls her eyes at him, though she isn’t really all that annoyed, of course, “Yeah, and _you_ just interrupted me watchin’ this exhibition match, Hop! Figured I’d at least let the Rotom do its _job_ a bit before you came waltzin’ in like you own the dang place.”

Hop laughs, crossing his arms and leaning over the back of the couch that Gloria sits on, still grinning as if he had truly done nothing wrong. “Aw, come off it! Besides, how’re you gonna cheer Lee on if you’ve got both your hands full? You’ve gotta do the Charizard pose to cheer him on properly!”

“And who says I was cheering for _Leon?_ ” Gloria teases, though Hop already knows they’ve both been cheering for Leon since they were only little kids, “What if I had a change of heart, eh? What if I decided to give poor old Raihan a chance?”

Hop only snorts, his Wooloo rolling up to him with a soft _baa._ He reaches down to scratch it behind one of its ears as he continues, “Pff, yeah right! How thick do you think I am, Glo?”

Their banter is interrupted, of course, as Gloria’s mother emerges from the kitchen, smiling as she lays eyes on Hop, “Hop! Didn’t expect to see you here today, dear. Isn’t this the big day?”

“Yup! That’s why I came running over to get Gloria! But nevermind watching the match right now—I’ve got it recording back home, anyway!” Hop starts, turning back to Gloria with a bright grin, “Lee’s coming home today—he’s probably bringing presents! C’mon, Glo, we’ve gotta go wait for him by the station in Wedgehurst!”

Gloria moves to stand up, but is interrupted by her mother, “Not so fast, young lady. I recall asking you to eat something, didn’t I?”

“But _mum,_ ” Gloria whines, “I c—”

“ _Gloria Emery Rothschild._ ”

Gloria rolls her eyes, getting up from the couch with a dramatic huff, crossing her arms as her chin-length hair tickles her cheeks.”Ugh, _fine!_ Sorry, Hop, I doubt I’ll be let go anytime soon.”

“Oh, nonsense!” her mother laughs, gesturing for the two of them to come to the kitchen, “I’m sure I made enough for the both of you! Come, you two!”

Crowds of people weave throughout Wyndon General Airport, a seemingly endless cacophony of noise making a girl’s ears ring as she tries to push her way through the crowds to receive her luggage. Her black pigtails sit loose and messy atop her head, in disarray despite the relatively short flight from Lumiose City to Wyndon. She rubs at pale blue eyes, grumbling something incoherent as she’s bumped into by a man who barely gives an apology. A Pokéball shakes in her pocket, and she gently pats the side of her false leather jacket to calm down the no-doubt hungry Pokémon inside.

Finally, _finally,_ she manages to weave her small frame through the crowd, swiftly grabbing her luggage from the slowly-rotating conveyor and leaving the crowded gate behind. If anyone notices her disheveled appearance at all, they’re kind enough not to stare as she heads for the doors of the airport, emerging into bright sunlight and fresh air for the first time in hours. She squints against the sudden influx of light, looking out at the stunning cityscape of Wyndon as she looks around for—

Quickly spotting a docked Corviknight Taxi, she makes her way to the large bird, the metal spikes of her heels clicking against the concrete sidewalk as she opts to free her Pokémon from its ball. Her Morpeko emerges with a growl, all violet and black as it nips at her ankles. She sighs, taking her backpack off and rooting through it until she finds a small case. From the case, she takes a small mocha Poké Puff, offering it to the hungry Morpeko with a small smile, sighing as it instantly devours the treat.

“Behave yourself. We are here for a reason,” she whispers to the small, now placated Pokémon, continuing her walk to the taxi with her Morpeko scampering next to her. The man standing next to the taxi nods as she approaches, opening the door and gesturing for her to step inside. She does, settling down into the seat with a tired sigh, her Morpeko hopping up into her lap as she looks out the window of the cab.

“And where are you headed today, miss?” the cabbie asks, closing the door and stepping into the front of the small carriage. She pauses for a moment, trying to remember the Galarian name of the city she is headed to, furrowing her brow as she chews at her bottom lip in thought. _Ça ne s'appelle pas Motorby ici ... c'était quoi encore?_

“Motostoke,” she states flatly, continuing to gaze out of the window as the Corviknight takes to the sky with powerful flaps of its wings. The cabbie says something she can’t make full sense of over the tinny speakers of the carriage, so she opts to ignore him, rooting through her backpack yet again until she finds a journal, cover worn from obvious use as she flips to an empty page, beginning to write.

_Julliet 21  
Bonjour encore, journal,_

_Galar est déjà tellement différent de chez soi. Je n'ai pas encore vu le vrai spectacle de son Gym Challenge, mais je ne doute pas que je pourrai; c'est en partie pourquoi je suis venu ici, après tout. En vérité, je ne peux qu'espérer pouvoir les retrouver. Peut-être que participer à ce défi me rapprochera d'eux._

_Marnie._

She closes her eyes yet again, and dozes off into a light slumber.

“Oleana has already taken the liberty to reserve you a room at the Budew Drop Inn, alright? I know the Challenge doesn’t start for another four days, but the both of us want only the best for you! Best of luck, son.”

In the foyer of an upscale Wyndon home, Bede Rose puts the last of his things into a backpack as his father goes over the last of the necessary preparations. Truthfully, Bede thinks that he’s overthinking all of this, though he doesn’t say it. It’s not as if Motostoke is some crime-ridden slum! It’s not like he’s going to _Spikemuth!_

“Thank you, father,” Bede says, hoisting the straps of his backpack around his shoulders and smiling up at Rose, “I’ll make you proud, I promise!”

Rose smiles, fondly ruffling his son’s hair as the boy’s Hatenna peers curiously up at him from behind Bede’s legs. Bede laughs, accepting the hug his father pulls him into, warm and familiar and smelling of expensive cologne. A short distance away, Oleana watches, stony as ever, though she offers the smallest of smiles as Bede pulls away from Rose.

“Safe travels to Motostoke,” is all she says to him, gently patting her Vespiquen’s side as it flies up to her, buzzing softly, “I’ve already arranged for a Corviknight taxi to pick you up from here. I suggest you get moving.”

Bede nods, scooping his Hatenna into his arms and turning for the door, adjusting his watch as it slides down his wrist, “I’ll make the both of you proud! I promise!”

Rose nods—he almost looks a bit _teary,_ watching Bede leave the house for what will be a _month._ Oleana offers a small wave, though not much more. With a determined huff, Bede opens the front door of the house he’s spent most of his life in, and into the rose-lined garden outside.

He sees the Corviknight taxi waiting just outside the driveway of the house, and he laughs as his Hatenna chirps curiously at the unfamiliar man waiting outside, keeping the door of the carriage wide open for him. It squirms in his grip, clearly wanting to run up to—or away from, he can’t be too sure—from the new person. Bede gently pats its head, trying his best to calm it down before it causes a scene.

“Oh, hush, you,” he soothes the little Pokémon in his arms, sidling up to the taxi with a smile as he takes a seat in the (admittedly, somewhat uncomfortable) seat, “it’ll be fine, see? We’re going to make father and Oleana proud by becoming the next Champion—the both of us. Isn’t that exciting?”

His Hatenna pauses for a moment, as if thinking about it, before it smiles up at him with an excited chirp. He smiles right back at it, letting the creature snuggle into his lap as the cabbie closes the door of the carriage. “That’s the spirit! I’m telling you, Mirabelle, the two of us are gonna do some great things out there.”

Quickly remembering that he does, in fact, have somewhere to be, Bede addresses the cabbie as he says, “To Motostoke, please, outside the central Pokémon Centre.”

He checks his watch as the Corviknight takes to the skies, having to hold it in place to keep it from sliding down the length of his forearm. Half past twelve—he’s perfectly on schedule, of course, tardiness won’t reflect well on him or father.

 _Chairman,_ he reminds himself. Now that he’ll be in the public eye, he has an image to upkeep. _Keep it professional. You can call him father after the opening ceremony._

He gazes out at the Wild Area down below him, spying a Gyarados swimming about the Lake of Outrage, a Copperajah and its baby in the Dusty Bowl. Goodness, he can’t _wait_ to get out there and explore, to catch some Pokémon of his own, to—

 _Calm yourself,_ he reminds himself yet again, _you have a persona you need to upkeep, now. Don’t blow it already._

With that thought in mind, he allows himself to relax into the seat of the cab. It’ll be a long ride to Motostoke, after all.

“The schedule is cleared for the next three hours?”

“Of course, sir. We can proceed without interruption.”

Rose turns to look at Oleana as they descend a staircase that runs deep underground, smiling up at her (she’s always taller than him with those heels on) and shaking his head,”You know there’s no need for formalities when we’re alone like this, darling.”

Oleana’s cheeks flush as her heels click against hardwood flooring, “Force of habit. As I was saying, Elijah, I’ve cleared the schedule for the next three hours. We will not be interrupted by anything.”

“Good, good,” Rose mutters as he works through the door locked with three passwords, swinging it open with a small hum. Oleana follows behind him, heels clicking against linoleum tiles rather than expensive hardwood floors, “Leon came a bit too close for comfort last time, didn’t he?”

Oleana doesn’t look up from the stainless steel table she is busy preparing, though she nods in affirmation as she slips on a pair of latex gloves. “Indeed, love. That’s why it won’t happen this time, I can assure you.”

Rose looks through shelves of Pokéballs as she speaks, checking labels and reading over previous conditions before he finally takes one from its case with a hum, “Phenomenal. Shall we get to work, then? We haven’t a moment to spare.”

“You forgot gloves, Elijah,” Oleana states, gesturing flatly to his bare hands as he chuckles, briefly setting the Pokéball aside to put on a pair of his own, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows as he does so. She cracks a small smile of her own, tying her hair back into a low ponytail whilst she waits.

“Thank you, love. What would I do without you?” he asks, picking up the Pokéball once more and walking up to the now-prepared table. Oleana shrugs nonchalantly, flicking on an overhead light and putting a surgical mask over her lips, wordlessly handing one to Rose as well.

“I wish I could say. Shall we get to work now, Elijah?”

Rose smiles behind his mask, and prepares to release the Pokémon inside of the ball.

“Indeed we shall.”

**Author's Note:**

> google translate is my best frienddddddd
> 
> if you enjoyed this chapter, be sure to follow my tumblr @trainerpeony ! thank you so much for reading!


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